On a Virginia Hilltop, a Tribute to Sept. 11 Takes Shape

A crane sets the second storage container in place to complete the memorial on top of a hill overlooking Buena Vista in the Shenandoah Valley. (By Josh Meltzer -- Roanake Times Via Associated Press)

BUENA VISTA -- Mark Cline, a self-described entertainer known for his elaborate April Fool's jokes, got serious with his latest project.

Cline took two 40-foot storage containers, painted them white and adorned them with yellow ribbon and American flags to represent the World Trade Center.

On Thursday, with the help of volunteers, Cline stood the containers on end on top of a hill overlooking Buena Vista, a city of approximately 6,000 in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. The display will remain there for three months.

"This is one of those situations where you have to be careful how you handle this type of observance," Cline said. "Because I'm in the entertainment business, I didn't want anybody to mistake this for a publicity stunt, and I've been very, very concerned about that."

The city will use the display as a backdrop for a memorial service tomorrow, the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks that felled the Twin Towers.

Cline, 45, makes whimsical fiberglass figures at his Enchanted Castle Studios in Natural Bridge. Two years ago, he created a foam replica of Stonehenge in Natural Bridge and called it Foamhenge. In 2001, he planted spaceships in a roadside field a few miles south of Lexington.

"I'm a promoter, and I don't want anybody to think I'm taking a cheap shot at anything. I do some things from the heart and people look at it as another publicity stunt," said Cline, wearing his trademark white fedora. "I've got a serious side to me as well."

Cline said the idea for a 9/11 tribute came while he was on Interstate 81.

"I was driving down the road, and I looked over and saw some tractor-trailers side by side, driving over the hill. And immediately I thought Twin Towers," he said.

The project cost about $1,000. Cline said he mostly used donated materials and labor from more than a dozen businesses and organizations. The 8,500-pound storage containers are on loan.

Students from Southern Virginia University sanded them and applied 18 gallons of paint. A Boy Scout troop donated the flags. A crew from Dominion Virginia Power Co. installed cables to anchor the two towers.

"I think it will be a good thing for the community, and that's why I'm doing it," Cline said.